comsc US Politics | AMERICAblog News: Chris Hayes: "The only hope on climate change is civil disobedience"—and the clock is ticking
Join Email List | About us | AMERICAblog Gay
Elections | Economic Crisis | Jobs | TSA | Limbaugh | Fun Stuff

Chris Hayes: "The only hope on climate change is civil disobedience"—and the clock is ticking



| Reddit | Tumblr | Digg | FARK

This is a great watch, and Hayes does a terrific job. (My alternate title, by the way, is Hayes' great line midway: "The earth's atmosphere does not care about the filibuster.")

Our backgrounder on this BLM (Bureau of Land Management) practice is here. Do read if you can; it covers a lot.

But for the basics, keep this in mind:

  • Homesteaders after 1916 never owned the mineral rights (including water rights) under their own land. The federal government does. This is called "split estate."

  • These BLM "auctions" are where oil and natural gas (i.e. "fracking") companies buy and lease the mineral rights under land already owned by others (as well as on or near federal land).

  • Let that sink in. If you own a farm or ranch in the west, the BLM can (and will) lease your land's mineral rights to Exxon (etc.) and force you to accept their wells on your property. Aerial views of "fracking" (natural gas) lands show these "small footprint" wells are everywhere. See below; also the google.

  • You also get their fracking fluid in your water and air. Probably forever.

  • Fracking destroys. Money talks. Is the government corrupt and complicit? (Do the math; you'll get there.)


Now Mr. Hayes. Please do watch if you can. This is too low on people's radar, and too important. This is the State in action (h/t Digby).

(To play this large in a separate tab, click here.)



Just one comment. Shouting "rule of law" when there is no "rule of law" for barons and their retainers is laughable, beyond hypocrisy.

There's more of this coming. Occupy was peaceful protest. This is peaceful protest. As Mario Savio said:
"One thousand people sitting down can stop any machine, including this machine."
But this time people are starving and broke, not just war-weary and draft-eligible. As the rich and the right (including our whistleblower-hating current resident) crack down harder and harder, it will be harder and harder to keep violence away from the movement that's growing.

I do not want to see that day.

GP

(To follow on Twitter or to send links: @Gaius_Publius)
 


blog comments powered by Disqus